The Obsession’s Bloom

Saranya rose from the bed, wiping her body with a dry rag before donning her familiar wolf-head chainmail. She then retrieved her steel sword from beside the bookshelf. After securing the blade to her back and adjusting the scabbard to a comfortable angle, she subtly turned her head, her gaze falling upon the bed behind her.

Kaelan lay soundly asleep on the bed, clutching her soaked linen shirt. Her eyes were mere slits, her eyelashes fluttering faintly. Her mistress’s fair, jade-like feet extended from beneath the covers, her adorable, neatly curled toes a delicate blush against their white skin, swaying gently now and then. Saranya found herself holding her breath at the sight.

Supporting her aching lower abdomen, Saranya limped to the bedside. She pulled the covers over Kaelan, then leaned down to press a soft kiss to her forehead before straightening up to extinguish the candle by the bed.

The bedroom was a complete mess, a testament to her mistress’s earlier antics. After surveying the disarray, Saranya sighed resignedly, resolving to take on the task of cleaning up.

More diligent than any devoted wife or mother, she tidied the room in the dark, clearing away rubbish, scrubbing the floor clean, righting overturned furniture, and finally, folding her mistress’s clothes neatly to place them at the foot of the bed. Finally, her gaze settled on the large bookshelf barricading the door.

“Sigh…”

Saranya attempted to move the bookshelf to open the door, but each surge of effort sent a searing pain through her lower body.

“Hmph… Hnngh… Ah…!”

Feeling a sudden warmth between her thighs, she collapsed to her knees, gasping as she unfastened her belt to tend to her torn wounds.

“Knock, knock.”

“Huh…?”

Someone outside gently tapped twice on the door. Saranya quickly crouched, grabbing a corner of the bookshelf. Using her body weight, she managed to drag the massive piece of furniture back a short distance, creating a small opening for the person outside.

“Saranya-jie…”

Through the crack in the door, Paresha blinked her moist, bright eyes, whispering Saranya’s name. The priestess’s expression was laced with anguish, her cheeks still flushed, and the corners of her eyes glistened with unshed tears. Seeing her in such a state, Saranya instantly understood everything. With a blush of shame, she bit her lower lip, a flicker of displeasure crossing her face.

“You’ve been here the whole time?”

“Mm-hmm…”

“You…”

Saranya disliked Paresha’s habitual voyeurism and instinctively furrowed her brows. Yet, seeing the girl’s pitiable expression, she couldn’t bring herself to scold her.

“Does it… hurt?”

“Huh?”

Under Saranya’s bewildered gaze, Paresha’s eyes narrowed slightly, her expression a mix of gloom and numbness, yet her voice held a strange exhilaration.

“She was so rough with you. Did it… hurt a lot?”

“Paresha, you…”

The bluntness of the question struck Saranya speechless, and the atmosphere instantly grew strained.

Paresha had undergone an ordeal in the Desolate Zone, perhaps improving her abilities, but the peculiar emotions within her heart remained unchanged. From the very beginning of her and Kaelan’s arrival in Vero, Kaelan had planted a seed in Paresha’s heart. The sorceress had fully exploited Paresha’s admiration for her as a Legion Commander, deliberately exposing their intimate interactions to profoundly shock the young girl’s mind. Then, in an act of condescension, she took Paresha as her apprentice, thus corrupting Paresha step by step and manipulating her to achieve their goals.

Now, just as her mistress desired, the seed had broken through the earth, blossoming into a grotesque sapling.

Saranya had witnessed the entire process. She understood that the person standing before her was no longer the naive, innocent girl, but a priestess deeply ensnared in a vortex of depravity.

For Paresha, to have the Legion Commander she admired, and to whom she had confessed her feelings, be tormented within the room, while she herself was confined outside, powerless, forced to observe the entire spectacle…

‘It’s too painful, truly too painful.’ Such an utterly outrageous scene. Saranya merely trying to imagine herself in Paresha’s shoes brought a suffocating sensation to her heart. She couldn’t fathom how Paresha had convinced herself to accept such a reality, let alone find pleasure in it. All she could feel was profound regret and sorrow.

“Well… you should come in first.”

At Saranya’s request, Paresha helped her move the bookshelf, then tiptoed into the bedroom, looking as awkward and guilt-ridden as a thief.

“Here, take this…”

Kneeling on the floor before Saranya, Paresha produced a roll of bandages, then pulled a small, round box from her bosom, shaking it slightly.

“I mixed this ointment for you. It’s for pain. I used it when I was injured in the Desolate Zone…”

“Thank you.”

Saranya sat with her legs splayed, feeling utterly uncomfortable opposite the priestess. She took the items, clutching them in her hand without moving for a long moment.

Observing her hesitation, Paresha lowered her eyes and asked tentatively,

“Do you need me to apply it for y—”

Realizing what strange suggestion Paresha was about to make, Saranya quickly clamped her thighs together, cutting her off.

“N-no, there’s no need!”

“Oh… I’m sorry… Hehe…”

Paresha, realizing her forwardness, let out a dry chuckle, scratching the back of her head before humbly lowering it.

The awkward silence persisted, making Saranya feel as though she might suffocate. She tried to divert their attention, searching for a neutral topic to discuss with Paresha.

“The Desolate Zone… did you go with your familiar, Freya?”

“Yes.”

“How was it? Besides the monsters and corrupted abominations, there must have been many sights you hadn’t encountered before, right? Did you see… a demon tide? Corroded artifacts? Uh… other demon-hunting teams?”

“Hmm… not many. Most of the time, I was gathering ingredients for your potions… By the way, did you drink the potions? One was a Darkbound Demon Fortifying Elixir, and the other was a Curse-Melding Potion…”

“Ah… yes, I… I drank them.”

Saranya felt a pang of guilt, unable to bring herself to confess that she had poured out the second potion.

“That’s good. You need to recover quickly.”

“Paresha… are *you* alright?”

“Me? I’m perfectly fine!”

As if to prove herself, Paresha forced a mature, composed demeanor, offering Saranya a faint smile. However, in the very next second, Paresha’s smile froze. Both their bodies tensed simultaneously, their gazes drawn to the bed behind them.

“How are you two enjoying your reunion?”

Unbeknownst to them, Kaelan had already sat up, casually crossing her legs as she observed the two kneeling on the floor, an expression of keen interest on her face.

“Mistress!”

“Kaelan!”

Saranya and Paresha rose in unison.

“You two… enjoying your little chat?”

The young sorceress pushed aside the bedding and ran her tongue over the corner of her lips, her tone tart, as if playfully jealous or perhaps seizing upon a new, wicked amusement.

“How about this, Saranya, you come sit beside me, closer… that’s right. Paresha, no, don’t get up, just stay kneeling there. Turn around and lock the door for me…”

The moment Kaelan uttered those words, a dreadful *thump-thump-thump* echoed in Saranya’s mind.

‘It’s over, it’s completely over. This is going to be a huge problem!’

“Mistress, please, don’t do this. Let Paresha leave first—”

“Hmm? I have a feeling Paresha *wants* to stay here, don’t you think?”

Kaelan leaned her nose into Saranya’s long hair, inhaling softly, while her crimson eyes slanted towards Paresha, humiliating the kneeling priestess with an arrogant, contemptuous gaze.

“Paresha, tell my little Anya: do you want to stay in the room… or leave?”

“Don’t go too far—”

Paresha, trying to maintain her composure, puffed out her cheeks and clenched her fists. But the moment she saw Saranya, her face flushed with shame, moaning “no,” Paresha instantly became dazed and lost. Swallowing hard, she slowly unclenched her hands.

Paresha tried to speak, but her first attempt failed, choked by overwhelming excitement. The fair-haired maiden’s eyes welled with tears as she offered a wretched smile, a grotesque blend of sorrow and ecstasy. Taking a deep breath, she parted her dry lips once more.

“Stay… stay here…”

“Paresha!”

Saranya angrily rebuked Paresha. Beside her, Kaelan buried her face into Saranya’s neck; a mere warm breath was enough to make Saranya’s eyes lose focus, and she leaned against her mistress in resignation. Weakly, she shook her head at Paresha, hoping the other woman would heed her warning and turn to leave the room. However, Paresha didn’t even glance at her. Instead, she remained humbly curled on the floor, and the words she uttered extinguished Saranya’s last vestiges of hope.

“I… I want to… stay here… Kaelan-sensei…”